For many kids, Election Day is a day off from school

Election Day is part of the rhythm of this country's democracy, but it also sets the schedule for schools one day a year.

Polling places are in schools in many districts in Worcester County, and in many cases, students will have the day off. In at least nine school districts, town clerks and polls workers will take over in one area and teachers will have a professional development day elsewhere in the building.

Other districts have scheduled parent-teacher conferences, and still others simply cancel classes for students and staff alike.

But in at least two buildings, it will be business as usual. Douglas' Early Childhood Center will host both polls and kindergartners, though in separate areas, and Worcester Technical High School, the only school in Worcester used as a polling place, will hold its regular day.

A presidential election happens only once in a student's high school career, and many teachers make the most of it. At Worcester Tech, a schoolwide initiative involves announcements from the principal, electoral college maps and a mock election with ballots that the graphics department designed to look like the real thing.

The polls are in the foyer, so students get a glimpse of democracy in action on their way to the cafeteria, Principal Sheila Harrity said.

Some of them will get an even closer look as they vote themselves. All of the school's eligible seniors registered to vote Sept. 24 as part of a special assembly with state Sen. Harriette L. Chandler, D-Worcester. She also visited in April and May for the same purpose, Ms. Harrity said.

For U.S. history teachers, Election Day is an illustration of the curriculum in action.

“This is a big deal,” said Angela Plant, a social studies teacher at Worcester Tech, “even my freshmen … are excited to vote.”

Frances S. Meringolo, social studies department head at Worcester Tech, has taken students to visit the polls and might again this year if there is a lull, she said.

“The whole school really is on board … really excited about the process,” she said.

In one of her classes, she walked students through the process of going in to vote, having their name checked off, being registered with a party or unenrolled for primary elections, and voting. They also learned about the missteps in Florida in 2000.

Hopefully, none of that will plague the school's counting of its mock election ballots today.

Presidential elections are a different animal than the spring elections and even off-year fall elections. In Shrewsbury, for instance, primary and May elections usually do not close school, even though Coolidge and Spring Street schools are voting places, according to Superintendent Joseph Sawyer. Lunenburg takes a similar approach, according to Superintendent Loxi Jo Calmes.